Chapter 438: Return

Li Xiaofei stepped forward slowly from the crowd. He was in his virtual persona as the Black Warrior. Plain in appearance, yet carrying an understated aura of distinction.

The crowd instinctively parted for him. The scene resembled a deity splitting the sea. Most of those present were disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven, and they bowed their heads in reverence to the venerable master who welcomed all with open arms.

Li Xiaofei stopped in front of the stage and ascended into the air with effortless grace. He landed firmly at its center.

Du Dingxuan’s eyes narrowed. “So, you actually have the guts to face me. Fine, make your move. Today, I’ll turn all of Grandmaster of Heaven Martial Arts into a joke.”

Li Xiaofei smiled faintly. “I’ll give you the first strike. Don’t say I bullied you on my own turf.”

He gestured lightly with his fingers.

“Heh, bully me? What a pretense! This outdated ancient martial habit of yours is laughable... Take this!” shouted Du Dingxuan

The air around him burst with a sharp crack as he exploded forward. He streaked toward Li Xiaofei like a bolt of lightning. Gasps erupted from the crowd. It turned out that Du Dingxuan had been holding back his true strength when defeating the bald man and the others earlier.

"Die!" Du Dingxuan closed the distance in an instant, launching a devastating punch.

It felt as though he was about to shatter the very world. This was one of the two key abilities of the Imperial Bone Crocodile’s Inscribed Treasure Bone embedded within his body. By channeling the energy of the treasure bone, Du Dingxuan could unleash an overwhelming force, a strength so vast it seemed capable of tearing through anything. Even space itself appeared on the brink of collapse under his might.

Li Xiaofei didn’t move as he calmly threw a punch of his own. For a fleeting moment, time and space seemed frozen as fist met fist. Then, 0.02 seconds later...

Boom!

The sound was akin to a nuclear explosion. A violent shockwave and blinding light erupted from the point of contact between their fists, radiating outward in expanding rings and waves.

The sheer power left the onlookers reeling, their minds struggling to comprehend the spectacle.

“Ahhhhhh!” Du Dingxuan roared in rage and disbelief.

He felt an unstoppable force surging from the opposing fist. It crashed against him with such ferocity that it instantly exceeded the limits of what his body could withstand.

Bang!

Blood and flesh splattered as white bone fragments flew through the air. Du Dingxuan’s right fist, along with his entire arm, disintegrated under the impact.

Boom!

His body was hurled backward, crashing hard into the arena’s protective barrier before landing on the ground. He landed on one knee, blood pouring from his mouth.

“This... this is impossible,” he gasped.

Summoning all his strength, he lifted his head to stare at Li Xiaofei in disbelief.

Strength! The titanic strength he was so proud of, the same strength that had crushed countless opponents before, had been decisively defeated in a direct clash. There had been no tricks or fancy techniques; just a raw, head-on collision of force. And he had lost.

Across the ring, Li Xiaofei seemed utterly calm. A faint smirk crossed his face as he crooked a finger at Du Dingxuan.

“Strength? You’re nowhere close.”

The unfeeling taunt cut through Du Dingxuan’s pride like a blade, piercing the very core of his being.

“Hehehe...” Du Dingxuan began to laugh. But his laughter was tinged with killing intent and bitter despair.

"You seem to have forgotten, I have a second trump card," Du Dingxuan sneered, his face twisting with a cunning and ruthless expression. "You're finished."

At that moment, a chilling frost began to spread. It had gone unnoticed until now, but the arena floor was covered with a shimmering layer of frost. The icy layer had silently encased everything, including Li Xiaofei’s legs and lower body up to his waist.

Absolute Frost. This was the second ability Du Dingxuan had gained after implanting the Inscribed Treasure Bone of a sea beast and it was his ultimate ability.

Gasps erupted from the onlookers. The disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven Martial Arts grew anxious. Disaster had struck. Their master had fallen into a trap.

"Grandmaster of Heaven, savor the taste of the Absolute Frost Storm!" Du Dingxuan roared as he slammed his remaining hand against the ground.

The frost shattered suddenly, unleashing an endless surge of cold energy. The frigid aura coalesced into the form of a colossal ancient frost crocodile, its ghostly figure roaring as it surged toward Li Xiaofei as though intent on devouring the entire world.

Li Xiaofei seemed stunned, frozen in place.

"Hahaha..."

Du Dingxuan laughed maniacally, as if already envisioning his victory over Grandmaster of Heaven, the end of the conflict between new and ancient martial arts, and the fame and fortune that would follow.

But in the very next second—

Li Xiaofei reached out like he was petting a tame animal. His hand lightly stroked the head of the frost crocodile phantom. The colossal ice beast, which had been roaring ferociously and radiating deathly cold just moments before, suddenly stopped in its tracks when Li Xiaofei’s fingertips brushed across its head. Then, it nuzzled his palm like a shy kitten.

"What?" Du Dingxuan’s triumphant smile froze.

“Go back,” Li Xiaofei said softly, giving the creature a gentle push with his finger.

Boom!

The frost crocodile transformed into a storm of icy wind, reversing its course. It surged across the arena in an instant and engulfed Du Dingxuan.

"What?"

"What just happened?"

"Did anyone see that?"

Gasps and cries of astonishment erupted from the onlookers. The sudden reversal in the blink of an eye left millions of viewers completely stunned.

Could the Grandmaster of Heaven control ice energy?

Isn’t that supposed to be a unique ability of the New Martial Arts?

The previously vocal supporters of New Martial Arts, who had been mocking ancient martial traditions, now looked like their souls had been punched out of their bodies as twisted expressions of disbelief crossed their faces.

Crack, crack.

The icy surface shattered, revealing Du Dingxuan’s stiffened body. His eyes were wide open and still filled with sheer terror, as if he had witnessed the most horrifying thing imaginable in the final moments of his life.

Thud.

His corpse fell to the ground, shattering on impact. Then, like a digital distortion, it dissolved into a stream of data and vanished entirely.

Li Xiaofei gestured gently and the icy arena instantly returned to its original state, all traces of frost and cold vanishing as though they had never been there.

“Anyone else want to challenge me?” asked Li Xiaofei as his gaze swept over the crowd.

Wherever his eyes landed, the new martial artists lowered their heads in submission, unable to meet his gaze.

“Master.”

“Greetings, Master.”

“Master, you’ve finally returned.”

Zhou Yidao and the other disciples hurried forward to bow and pay their respects. The six brothers went even further, dropping to their knees and performing an elaborate ceremonial bow, as if they were paying respects to their father.

Surrounding them, the millions of online viewers all simultaneously bowed their heads and clasped their fists in salute, their synchronized motion rippling like a powerful tide.

At that moment, a profound sense of pride welled up in Li Xiaofei’s heart. A surge of unparalleled heroism and resolve coursed through his chest.

Standing tall on the arena platform, he declared, “Today, I return to teach, guide, and resolve doubts. I am here to impart new ancient martial arts legacies. Seven techniques in total: Finger Flick Technique, Purple Cloud Divine Skill, Frost True Qi, Wudang Cloud-Stepping Leap, Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand, Tianshan Six Yang Palm, and more.”

For a full ten hours, Li Xiaofei explained and demonstrated each technique, his voice unwavering as he imparted the secrets of martial arts.

“Those who join my ranks must uphold righteousness and cultivate a heart of chivalry.”

“Obey the law. Protect the weak.”

“Defend the homeland.”

“Violators of the rules, death!”

“Oppressors of the weak, death!”

“Traitors to Great Xia, death!”

“In the vast universe, martial arts reign supreme.”

“In the boundless heavens and earth, righteousness will endure.”

Li Xiaofei’s voice rang out like a thunderclap, echoing across the livestream and reverberating in the hearts of every disciple. When the crowd finally looked back at the arena, the figure of their master was already gone. Zhou Yidao and the others stared at the empty space, feeling a sense of longing and loss.

Meanwhile, the news of Grandmaster of Heaven’s return and his explosive livestream began to spread like wildfire, igniting countless discussions and making headlines everywhere.

But all of this no longer concerned Li Xiaofei because the young lady had returned. And, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

When he saw the smiling, radiant girl before him, Li Xiaofei wasted no words and immediately made his move.